Modular building structure and prefabricated components therefor



April 4, 1-967 H. PASCHMANN 3,312,024

MODULAR BUILDING STRUCTURE AND PREFABRICATED COMPONENTS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 24, 1964 '7 Sheets-Sheet l April 4, 1967 H. PASCHMANN MODULAR BUILDING STRUCTURE AND PREFABRICATED COMPONENTS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 24, 1964 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 MIME-N row April 4, 1967 H. PASCHMANN 3,312,024

MODULAR BUILDING STRUCTURE AND PREFABRICATED COMPONENTS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 24, 1964 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 4, 1967 MODULAR BUILDING STRUCTURE AND PREFABRICATED Filed Nov. 24, 1964 H. PASCHMANN COMPONENTS THEREFOR '7 Sheets-Sheet 4.

April 4, 1967 H. PASCHMANN MODULAR BUILDING STRUCTURE AND PREFABRICATED COMPONENTS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 24, 1964 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 8 lWl'NmR lie/mu! PASOVMANN 671/ 761 nk/ e firramay;

P" 4, 1967 H. PASCHMANN 3,31

MODULAR BUILDING STRUCTURE AND PREFABRICATED COMPONENTS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 24, 1964 7 Sheets-Sheet G United States Patent 3,312,024- Patentecl Apr. 4, 1967 tice 3,312,024 MODULAR BUILDHNG STRUCTURE AND PRE. FABRECATED CUMPONENT THEREFOR Helmet Paschmann, Stettiner Strasse 9, Remschcid, Germany Filed Nov. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 413,462 Claims priority, application Germany, Dec. 12, 1963,

P 33,180 17 Claims. (tCl. 52-221) This invention relates in general to building structures and more particularly to a modular type of building structure which can be assembled from prefabricated components and which can be also disassembled for transportation and reassembly elsewhere. By reason of its modular construction, the elementary structure according to the invention can be adapted for use either singly, or in combination with other similar structure modules, in the construction of residences, factories, schools, auditoriums, and other buildings.

The use of prefabricated components, some of which are cast reinforced concrete members, according to the invention, offers numerous advantages over conventional, prior art building structures, particularly in the speed and simplicity of erection.

The building structures of the prior art, which consist of brick work or concrete poured on the site, have the disadvantage that they cannot be erected quickly enough since they require too much complex manual work for that purpose, which furthermore usually does not provide sufficient dimensional accuracy. These known building structures are afiixed to the soil by foundations and can be removed only by breaking them away. It is very difficult, however, and too bothersome to break them away in this manner. Furthermore, this operation entails such a destruction of the components of the structure that they can hardly be used again for new constructions, and therefore have become practically worthless.

In general, building structures which are assembled from prefabricated parts, including reinforced concrete load bearing parts, and room forming parts of various materials adapted to particular application, as for example, prefabricated slabs of cement, metal or the like have been known.

However, these prior art building structures still do not meet the requirements of present day construction because they cannot be erected rapidly and simply enough. Furthermore, they cannot be disassembled into their individual component parts so that they can be reerected at another site without resulting in appreciable loss due to destroyed or damaged components.

This invention is directed at eliminating the still subsisting deficiencies, and at providing a building structure whch can be erected more quickly and more simply than the building structures of the prior art, and accomplishes this objective by using parts which are so prefabricated that they exhibit an especially high degree of dimensional accuracy. Furthermore, the structure of the invention can be easily disassembled, if desired, into its inidividual parts, so that they can be erected again at another site without any appreciable loss due to destroyed or damaged components.

The basic building structural module of the inven tion is capable of being united with other building structure modules of the same kind or similar thereto by either stacking one on top of the other or one next to the other.

The building structure module according to the invention includes a supporting framework and a plurality of room-forming filler panels associated therewith, with the supporting framework comprising four rigid corner piece members, each of which has two horizontal arms and one vertically disposed leg which normally extends downward, the free end of each horizontal arm being joined fixedly but releasably to the free horizontal arm of the adjacent corner piece, and a separately constructed, rigid, horizontally disposed supporting span member being joined fixedly but releasably to the horizontal arms of the corner pieces, the said horiozntal arms being joined to form a rectangle surrounding the said supporting span member, and the room-forming filler pane-ls being secured to the supporting framework with the aid of a skeleton formed of round tubes running vertically and horizontally and combined fixedly but releasably into a rigid unit, the empty spaces in said skeleton being closed with the removable filler panels, such as for example concrete slabs.

In this manner it is brought about that the framework and the room-forming fillers can be easily erected and taken apart.

The supporting framework, which comprises the four rigid corner pieces, can easily be assembled into a rigid unit which defines the boundaries of a substantially rectangular, parallelepiped structural module, by fastening together the free ends of the horizontal arms thereof. The horizontally disposed sup-porting span member can be fastened to the arms of the corner pieces simply by turning the supporting member into them, with the ends of the supporting member being enveloped by the arms of the corner pieces of the supporting framework, so that a rigid connection is thereby achieved at the junctions. The slabs which are laid horizontally on the framework are disposed on the latter in such a manner as to have a tight, positive hold thereon. The skeleton formed of horizontally and vertically disposed round tubes is then arranged on these slabs and fastened together into a strong, rigid unit, which is capable of disassembly, and the removable slabs are inserted into the spaces in the tubular skeleton.

By reversing this assembly procedure, the slabs can first be removed from the tubular skeleton, and then the skeleton can be taken apart and the slabs laid on the corner pieces of the framework and on the beams of the supporting member, which can then be removed, so as to permit the supporting member to be swung out and the four corner pieces of the framework to be disassembled.

In this manner the erection and disassembly of an entire building constructed with the modular structural elements according to the invention can be performed in a very simple manner.

In one embodiment of the invention the horizontal supporting span member is assembled from four beams joined into a rigid unit, with the sides of said beams enclosing an interior square whose center coincides with the center of the supporting framework when assembled therewith, and the ends of the said beams extend beyond the said square to the framework members in such a manner that when assembled on the framework the center line of the one beams, the center line of the adjacent beam at right angles thereto, and the connected arms of the framework enclose rectangles having areas in the approximate ratio of 3:4 with respect to the area of the inner square.

In this manner supporting span members are provided for the slabs which are to be laid horizontally to form room dividing ceilings and floors. By reason of their geometry,- these span members have a relatively high load :apacity, and yet offer a substantial saving of raw mateial because they require 'only four similar beams of =qual length, shorter in length than the span between the rorizontal arms of the corner pieces which they cover. the inner square formed in these span members provides relatively large opening in the middle of the structure or the installation of a winding staircase, for example. The arrangement of the rectangular spaces between the pan members and supporting framework permits the ise of narrow and also relatively long openings for the nstallation, for example, of straight stairways or movng stairs, by using a different rectangle in the span mem- )ers of vertically adjacent room modules.

An alternate embodiment of the invention uses a fifth ieam to tie together fixedly, but releasably, a pair of ippositeliy disposed beams enclosing the inner square, that a pair of equal rectangles are formed instead of he inner square. In this manner it is possible to divide he inner square, whenever desired, into two rectangles so is to form two smaller openings for the installation, for Xamp'le, of straight staircases running in directions )ar'allel to the sides of the inner square.

Another embodiment uses releasable couplings for the rec ends of the horizontal arms, with one coupling memer' embedded in each of the facing ends of the arms, with he coupling members having cavities opening towards he ends of the arms, and locking recesses projecting aterally at a distance from the end faces of the arms, into VlllClh recesses projections of hinge pieces are fitted, and vhen the hinge pieces are installed in the cavities, a lockng plate is introduced between the other side of each linge piece and the inner face of the cavity facing it, the :aid locking plate being so wide that, when the ends of he arms are coupled together, the facing ends of the ,ockin'g plates are approximately opposite one another, and the hinge pieces mesh with one another at their free ends and are connected together releasably by a iinge pin.

In this manner a simple and effective coupling of the rims of the corner pieces of the framework is achieved, which also offers an easy uncoupling of the arm ends. When coupled together these arm ends are immobile 1orizontally, so as to resist load forces occurring in the iorizontal direction. In the vertical direction, however, the coupled arm ends are articulated to a certain degree, ;0 that the structure formed by the arms and the legs of the corner pieces is statically determinate. When the arms are coupled together, the locking plates cannot escape from their secured position, because their approx- ;mately oppositely located end surfaces preclude such an :scape.

In one embodiment there is embedded in the free end of each vertical leg a rigid bearing piece, which has the shape of a partial sphere and which rests in a concavely matching bearing piece located in each end of the upright legs of a base member or, in the case of superposed frameworks, in the top surface of the corners of the corner pieces of the framework, in such a manner that the center of the concave bearing part lies on a common vertical line with the center of the rigid bearing piece associated with it.

Thus, the structure is supported in ball and socket joints at the bottom ends of the vertical legs of the corner pieces on its base, so that the framework is statically determinate. This ball and socket mounting provides for satisfactory transmission of the vertical and horiaontal forces that occur. Furthermore, this type of mounting is advantageous in that the ends of the framework can easily be lifted out of the concave bearing piece whenever the structure is to be dismantled. Also the need for fixed lfastenings and the parts corresponding thereto is eliminated.

It is expedient for the horizontal arms of the corner pieces, the beams of the supporting member, and the 4': beam, if any, which divide the inner square of the supporting member into two equal rectangles, to be provided with horizontally disposed openings or passages. These horizontally disposed openings serve to admit conduit and the like and to provide for ventilation in the horizontal direction.

In a further embodiment, a base member is disposed beneath the framework, said base member comprising four rigid corner pieces, with the corner of each corner piece having two horizontally disposed arms and one stud extending vertically upward, with the free ends of the horizontal arms being joined fixedly but releasably to one another. A horizontally disposed floor supporting member can be mounted to the base member, if desired, said floor supporting member being fixedly but releasably fastened thereto, and can be similar in construction to the supporting span member that is joined to the arms of the corner pieces of the upper framework.

This base member serves to receive the horizontal spreading forces and to transmit the vertical pressure forces to the ground or other underlying supporting structure. The vertical studs of the base member provide a greater spacing between the base member and the upper framework resting thereon than that which would exist if the base member had no vertical studs. If desired, this space between the top surface of the base member and the lower surface of the framework resting thereonv can be utilized for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Also, the vertical studs of the base member are relatively rigid' and can be made of sufficient strength to withstand the force of a collision, such as is created, for example, by a:

vehicle.

It is expedient to form the fioor supporting member from four beams arranged in a manner similar to that of' the span supporting member for the upper framework, with the end surfaces of the beams lying against the lateral surfaces of their respectively adjacent beams and their associated base member arms. In this particular construction an aligning and fastening piece, partially spherical in shape, is embedded in each of the beam ends, with a hemispherical portion of said piece being located in the cross-sectional center of the beam and projecting beyond the end face of the beam, and sleeve-like internally threaded anchoring parts are provided which extend from the aligning and fastening piece parallel to one another and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the beam when embedded therein, so that the center lines of these anchoring parts coincide with the center lines of the sleeve-like anchoring pieces embedded in the associated beam which extends from an aligning and fastening piece provided with a hemispherical socket. These beams are held in place by bolts passed through the sleeve-like, unthreaded anchor pieces of the beam, said bolts being screwed into the internally threaded sleeve-like anchoring parts in such a manner that their heads lie tightly against the outside of the beam.

With this particular construction it is unnecessary to cast the supporting member as a single piece, thus eliminating the necessity of using an excessively large casting form which would otherwise be required, as in the case of very large supporting members. The individual beams used in the assembled supporting member can be made. singly in relatively smaller molds.

It is advantageous to make the four free beam ends of in said recesses and be stopped laterally by the sides of To assure the accurate positioning of the said recesses. supporting member, sleeve-like aligning pieces are embedded in each end of the beam of the supporting member, with the longitudinal axes of said aligning pieces coinciding with the longitudinal axes of the sleeve-like aligning pieces which are embedded in the arms. The beams and arms are fastened together by bolts passed through the two associated sleeve-like aligning pieces so that the threaded portion of each bolt is tightly screwed into the female thread of the sleeve-like aligning piece embedded in the beam end, and tightened so that the head of each bolt lies against the outside of the arm.

Accordingly, when the supporting member is rotated horizontally, its correct fitting is assured by the fact that its four free beam ends are stopped by the sides of the recesses.

A plurality of building structure modules can be combined by providing lugs of equal width extending outward from the upper corners of the rigid corner pieces of their respective frameworks. These lugs are disposed vertically so that when a plurality of frameworks are united by being releasably aflixed to one another at their facing end surfaces, the meeting surfaces merge in their bottom portions with open surfaces which enclose an acute angle.

Because these lugs project freely outward, a horizontal space is produced between the arms of the frameworks so that broad lugs can be used, in order to provide a high resistance to flexing and to make the combined frameworks hold together strongly when the lugs, and hence the meeting surfaces, are rigidly fastened to one another. The outwardly projecting lugs form a vertical cavity when four frameworks are combined. Due to the fact that the meeting surfaces merge in their bottom area with open surfaces which enclose or bound an acute angle when the frameworks are united, the vertical cavity is made accessible laterally and from below, so that the cavity can be used for the installation of conduits and the like.

Where it is desired to provide for the attachment of drain pipes or gutters, the facing of the corner of the lugs can be provided with grooves extending crosswise with respect to said lugs. These grooves serve for the arrangement of a drain pipe which is attached to the gutter that is borne by the arms. If desired the gutter can be in turn covered by a grate.

According to one embodiment of the invention a relatively large structure can be formed by combining twelve corner pieces to form a single framework. The corner pieces are so arranged that the free inwardly pointing ends of the arms are connected fixedly but releasably to the associated ends of the arms of a cross-member, said arms being of substantially equal length and arranged in parallel pairs which are at right angles to one another. Two additional frameworks are connected to each of at least two sides of the large framework, with the lugs of the additional frameworks being fastened by bolts to the lugs of the large framework. With this construction it is thus possible to span the floor area of four combined frameworks so as to provide a pillar-free room.

To prevent slabs which are laid horizontally on the framework from being displaced horizontally, it is advantageous to provide them with downwardly projecting ribs, with the outer sides of said ribs being disposed so as to be in abutting contact with the insides of the arms of the corner pieces of the framework at one end of the slab, and in abutting contact with the insides of the beams of the supporting member at the other end. For slabs which are used to unite the frameworks, the ribs are disposed so as to abut the facing outer sides of the arms.

To prevent the transmission of noise from the slabs to the framework, the merging surfaces of the ribs and the slabs are provided with elastic pads.

To assure that the floor slabs will be joined together in an air-tight and water-tight manner, it is expedient to provide such slabs with grooves at their meeting surfaces, said grooves being shaped so as to receive sealing means.

In structures where it is desired to provide railings,

such railings may be incorporated into individual slabs, such as, for example, in slabs which are provided at one side with an upright railing, with the slab and the railing being integrally formed as an independently cast unit. With this construction it is thus possible in a simple manner to form slabs with integral railings and thus avoid the need for casting slabs with openings to receive separately installed railings.

To drain water and rain from the surfaces of horizontally laid slabs, it is expedient to provide the slabs uniting the framework with grate-like slots, and a separate trough-shaped piece disposed beneath said slots. This trough need not be fastened to the slab above it. This arrangement permits water to pass through the slots into the trough or gutter and thence into a drain pipe which can be connected thereto for removal of said water. Should it be necessary to clean the trough, the slabs placed thereover can be removed.

The modular structure contemplated by the invention is not limited in its application to use with the aforesaid types of slabs, but can also be used advantageously in conjunction with sandwich-type slabs which are disposed to cover the spaces in the tubular skeleton. These sandwich slabs are individually constructed so as to contain a layer of filler material between a pair of parallelly. disposed panels, the marginal portions of which are bent at an angle towards one another, with. the extreme marginal portions being further bent but inwardly to enclose the filler, and provide edges which are adapted to engage elastic sealing members. Such slabs can easily be manufactured to accurate dimensions so that they fit snugly into the tubular skeleton spaces and sealing members can produce a tight seal therewith. As desired or required to meet the needs of the particular application, the filler material can be an insulating material which will provide sufi'icient insulation against heat, cold and noise.

As will be described in greater detail herein, the skeleton is assembled from horizontally and vertically disposed tubes which are joined by coupling members at their intersections, the outer surfaces of said coupling members being disposed cube-wise to one another and have faces which are circular in shape, said faces meeting one another at junction points on their periphery. From these junction points run three arcuate edges, and from these extend three apexes of equal shape at right angles to the circular faces and meet at a common center. Internally threaded holes are provided in the center of the circular faces to serve for screwing in cylindrical studs onto which the ends of the skeleton tubes can be pushed and can be fastened fixedly but releasably.

With coupling members of this design it is possible to connect as many as six tubes of the skeleton. At the same time the advantage exists that the cylindrical studs extending from the circular faces of the coupling member can be unscrewed, so that no unnecessary studs are present when, for example, only a single straight wall is formed. Furthermore, the slabs held by the tubular skeleton are held firmly. The corners of the slabs are shaped so as to penetrate into the recurved corners of the coupling mem ber together with their associated seals to provide an effective sealing fit.

Alternatively, the circular flat faces of the coupling members can be provided with centrally disposed fittings, shaped in the form of stepped disks, with the edges of the widest steps of said fittings being disposed against the fiat faces of the coupling members. The skeleton tubes are connected to the coupling members by shoving their ends onto the middle steps of the fittings.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a modular building structure which can be simply erected and combined with other similar structural modules to form a completed building.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a modular structure, as aforesaid, component parts and fittings which permit a building assembled from such structural modules to be simply and easily disassembled, Without destruction or damage to its component parts, so that said parts can be transported and reassembled into another building.

Still another and further object of the invention is to provide a modular structure, as aforesaid, which is adapted to utilize a variety of prefabricated components.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in or become evident from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a framework according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the framework of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the framework of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a horizontally disposed supporting span member used in conjunction with the framework of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the framework represented by FIGS. 1 to 3 showing a supporting span member of FIG. 4 introduced from the top and in the position it assumes before it is rotated horizontally for fastening into the framework;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the framework and supporting span member of FIG. 5, showing the span member as fastened to the framework;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the framework and fastened support span member of FIG. 6, showing slabs laid horizontally thereon;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the framework and span support member of FIG. 6, wherein the support member is provided with an additional beam, showing a typical arrangement of horizontally disposed slabs mounted thereto;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a portion of a pair of connected framework arms showing details of a releasable coupling member used therewith;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the releasable coupling member of FIG. 9, shown apart from its associated framework arms;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a portion of the free end of a typical vertical leg member in the framework and an underlying base member, showing in detail a rigid bearing member embedded in the free end of said vertical leg, and a cooperating bearing member embedded in the underlying base member;

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of two vertically superimposed frameworks of the type shown in FIG. 1 which is supported by an underlying base member;

FIG. 12a is a horizontal section through a framework and associated supporting span member of FIG. 12 but on a smaller scale;

FIG. 12b shows a portion of a beam in a supporting span member, showing a horizontal opening disposed therein;

FIG. 13 is a plan view, partially in section, of a framework and attached supporting span member according to one embodiment of the invention, wherein individual fastening means are provided for joining the beams of the span member to each other and to the arms of the framework;

FIG. 14 is a detail view, partially in section, illustrating the typical construction of the beam fastening means of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is an end view of a support span member beam which is provided with an embedded fastening member of different construction than that shown by FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the beam and fastening member of FIG. 15, taken along the line GD of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a transverse sectional view of a support span member beam which is adapted for connection to the end of the beam shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, and has an embedded fastening guide member which cooperates with 8 fastening member of FIG. 15 to permit the two beams to be bolted together;

FIG. 18 is a transverse view of a portion of the span member beam and guide member of FIG. 17, looking into the guide sleeves of said guide member;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view showing in detail how a pair of span member beams, provided with the fitting shown in FIGS. 1518, are bolted together;

FIG. 20 is a plan view of four interconnected structural modules as shown in either of FIGS. 6, 7, or 13, with a plurality of slabs being laid upon their span members;

FIG. 21 shows an arrangement of structural modules according to the invention, wherein a plurality of corner piece members are connected together in groups of four by cross-shaped fastening members;

FIG. 2 shows a typical section through a slab which is adapted to be used with the modular structural framework of the invention, said slab being provided with an integrally formed upright ledge member;

FIG. 23 shows a plan view of a framework having two slabs of the type shown in FIG. 22 disposed adjacently to form a continuous upright ledge;

FIG. 24 is a plan view of a slotted slab and underlying trough which are used in the modular structure of the invention for drainage purpose;

FIG. 25 is a sectional view of FIG. 24 taken along the line EF in FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a side elevation view of an assembled building structure according to one embodiment of the invention having a fiat base member laid on the ground for directly supporting floor slabs;

FIG. 27 is a side elevational view of an assembled building structure with a flat base member lying on the ground, and slabs serving as the floor, such slabs being disposed in spaced relationship to slabs directiy-borne by the base member, to provide a space therebetween with a similar space being provided in the upper area of the building structure;

FIG. 28 is an elevation view, partly in section, of a vertical stud member, having an end which is adapted to be screwed into portions of the tubular skeleton used in the building structure of FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a sectional view, taken along line GH of FIG. 26.

FIG. 30 is a sectional view, taken along line IK of FIG. 27.

FIG. 31 is a transverse sectional view of a typical skeleton tube and elastic sealing 'rnern'ber used in the modular structures of the invention.

FIG. 32 is a transverse section through an edge portion of a typical slab which is mounted to the tubular skeleton.

FIG. 33 is a transverse section through the edge portions of two slabs as shown in FIG. 32, mounted to a skeleton tube.

FIG. 34 is a plan view of the upper corners of four combined frames, having corner pieces of modified construction wherein projecting members are provided for releasably connecting said frames together.

FIG. 35 is a sectional view, taken along line L-M of FIG. 34.

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a typical coupling member used for joining tubes of a skeleton in the modular structures of the invention.

FIG. 37 is a longitudinal sectional view of a coupling device for releasably joining tubes of the skeleton.

FIG. 38 is a side view of a cylindrical shifting member used in the coupling device of FIG. 37.

FIG. 39 is a side view of the coupling device of FIG. 37.

FIG. 40 is a bottom end view of the cylindrical shifting member of FIG. 38.

FIG. 41 is a bottom end view of a cam used in the coupling device of FIG. 37.

FIG. 42 is a side view of the coupling device of FIG.

9 37, and coupling member of FIG. 36, and a typical skeleton tube assembled together.

As can be seen from the drawings, and more particularly from FIGS. 1-8, 12, 13, 20, 21, 26, 27, 29 and 30, which exemplify in general the various embodiments of the modular structure and components according to the invention, that the basic modular structure H comprises a primary load bearing supporting framework A, and a plurality of filler panels, or slabs B, which can be so constructed as to serve as walls, floors, ceilings, or roofs, together with structural means for mounting the panels B to the supporting framework A, said mean being various combinations including sup-porting span members 6, and for tubular skeleton assemblies 9.

The framework A is of relatively simple open con struction, and comprises four rigid corner pieces 1, each having a pair of normally horizontal arms 3, and a vertical leg member a, said arm 3 and leg member 4 extending from the upper corner portion 2, in substantially mutually orthogonal directions.

In the simplest embodiment of the invention, the four corner pieces 1 are arranged so as to enclose the edges of a rectangular parallelepiped space, with the free or distal ends 5-5 of the arms 3 being connected fixedly, but releasably to those of the adjacent corner pieces 1.

This arrangement is best explained by referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, which are related views of the same framework A, wherein said framework A is supported via its legs 4 by a base G, such as a concrete pad, footing, etc., or even the ground. The lower ends 4' of the legs 4 can be either fastened to the base G or merely placed so as to rest upon it, such as for example, where the base is provided with matching indentations F, preferably having bearing caps (not shown).

As thus far described, the structure formed by the framework A by itself is open at the top and on all four lateral sides, and is consequently of limited utility. To provide a support for covering the top of the framework A, a span support member 6, shown in FIG. 4, is inserted into the opening of the connected horizontal arms 3, as illustrated by FIG. 5, and rotated until its extension members 13 assume the position shown in FIG. 6, where they contact the interior portions of the arms 3. In this position, the extension members 13 are connected fixedly but releasably to the arms 3.

As is readily apparent from FIG. 4, the span support member '6 is a planar frame comprising four beams 12 interconnected so as to form an internal square Q with the extension members 13 of the beams 12 projecting therefrom in a unidirectional cyclical fashion.

It should be noted that the particular configuration shown herein for the assembled corner pieces 1 and span support member 6, is by way of example only, and in no sense implies that the structural modules H are limited to those of square plan form. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the lengths of the arms 3, beams 12, and their relative arrangement may be varied to suit the needs of a particular application, such as, for example, the arms 3 of each corner piece 1 can be unequal in length so as to form a non-square rectangle and, likewise, the beams 12 can be of such length and disposed so as to form a support member 6 having an internal non-square rectangle instead of the arrangement shown by FIG. 4 where said beams 12 are assembled so their interior sides 12 enclose an internal square having a center M which coincides with the center M of the framework A, as illustrated by FIGS. 5 and 6.

In the basic structural module H exemplified by FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the slabs '7 are illustrated as being mounted horizontally to the support member 6 and enclosing arms 3, without the aid of any underlying skeleton 9.

Depending upon the strength of the individual slabs 7, their load requirements and the span which they cover, the skeleton 9 can be used to provide intermediate support. For slabs 7 of sufiicient strength, the skeleton 9 1% may be omitted where said slabs 7 are of such dimensions as permit direct mounting to the arms 3 and support member 6.

To facilitate disassembly of the structure H, the free ends 5-5' of arms 3 are provided with releasable connections, as at the four points 11 on the framework A. Such releasable connections are illustrated in detail in FIGS. 9 and 10.

As illustrated by FIG. 6, the four beam ends 13 extend outward from the internal square Q, with their center lines m-m m-m 71-11 and 11-11,, and their intersections with the center lines n-n 11-11 112-111,, mm of the arms 3, and center lines mm n-n of the framework A forming a plurality of rectangles R having an area in the ratio of substantially 3:4 with respect to the area of the square Q.

As can be seen in FIG. 6, the surface area of the interior square Q consists of four smaller squares defined by the horizontal lines m-m m-m 112-171 and the perpendiculars nn 11-11 and 11-11 On the other hand, each rectangle R has only three such small squares, as is immediately apparent in FIG. 6.

In FIG. 8 an embodiment is shown in which the beams 12 enclosing the interior square Q of FIG. 6 are fixedly but releasably fastened to a beam 14 in such a manner that two equal rectangles R are formed instead of the interior square Q. In FIG. 8 only one rectangle R is left open for the installation of a flight of stairs, for example, the other rectangle R being covered by the slabs 7, so that it is not visible in FIG. 8. Both rectangles R, are equal in dimensions, however, so that slabs '7, which have all the same longitudinal and cross dimensions, can be used in both rectangles R as it can be seen in FIG. 8. An additional beam 14, which is added in FIG. 8, can also be of such a length, if desired, that its center line coincides with the center line m-m (FIG. 6), so that two equal rectangles R are likewise formed. In this manner it is made possible to arrange the beam 14- in such a manner as to permit the installation of a vertical passage, such as is required to install stairs, for example.

FIG. 9 in conjunction with FIG. 10 represents a releasable connection of the free ends of the horizontal arms of the corner pieces of the framework, FIG. 9 being a sectional view and FIG. 10 being a plan view. This releasable connection of the free ends 5-5 of the horizontal arms 3 is formed by embedding into the facing ends 5-5 of arms 3 one coupling member 15-15 each, which have cavities 17-17' opening towards the end surfaces 16-16 of arm 3, and, at the distance X from these end surfaces 16-16, has a recess 18-18 into which a hinge part 19-19 can be held by means of a projection 20-20 extending therefrom with lock plates 23-23 being introduced between the sides 21-21 of hinge parts 19-19 facing away from the projections 20-29 on the one hand, and the facing inside surfaces 22-22 of cavity 17-17 on the other, the said lock plates being so broad that, when the arm ends 5-5 are coupled together, the facing end surfaces 24-24 of lock plates 23-23 are approximately opposite one another, and the hinge parts 19-19 being releasably fastened together at their free ends 25-25 by means of a hinge pin 26.

The arrangement and manner of operation of this releasable connection is the following:

When the arms 3 are cast in an appropriate molding form (not shown) the coupling member 15-15, which is distinguished in FIG. 9 by a diagonal hatching, is molded in such a manner that it is firmly embedded in the finished arm when it is stripped from the form. The arms 3 are represented in FIG. 9 by the speckled areas. To give the coupling members 15-15 a strong grip in the material of arms 3, the horizontally disposed outside surfaces of the coupling members are provided with fillets or peripheral grooves 28 into which the material penetrates during the forming of arms 3, so that a strong,

permanent bonding results between each coupling member 15-15 and its associated arm 3, to retain the positions in which they were embedded in the beam ends -5. The coupling members -15 are made of a strong material, preferably of cast steel. The inner surfaces of the cavities 17-17 of coupling members 15-15 are made as plane surfaces. In connecting the pairs of arms 3, first the hinge parts 19-19 are inserted into the cavities 17-17 in the direction of the horizontal arrows shown in FIG. 9 in such a manner that their vertical end surfaces 27-27 come to rest against the vertical interior surfaces 27-27. The hinge parts 19-19 are then moved downward in the vertical direction, which is indicated in FIG. 9 by the short perpendicular arrows in such a manner that their projections 20-20 enter into the recess 18-18 made to match them. After the hinge parts 19-19 have assumed this position in the cavities 17-17, the lock plates 23-23 are inserted in the direction of the horizontal arrows drawn in FIG. 9, with a driving fit or press fit, in such a manner that the hinge parts 19-19 are firmly anchored in the coupling member 15-15. In this manner the hinge parts 19-19 can be preinstalled in the arms 3 before they are coupled together, so that it is only necessary to insert the hinge pins 26 to couple them.

When the corner parts 1 are assembled into a framework, the free ends 5-5 of arms 3 are coupled together in such a manner that the free ends 25-25 of the hinge parts 19-19 are meshed with one another and held releasably together by a hinge pin 26, as shown in FIG. 10. By removing hinge pin 26 from its seat, this joint can be taken apart again when desired.

As it is shown in FIG. 11 in conjunction with FIG. 12, in the free or lower end of each vertical member 4 there is embedded a rigid bearing part 30, which has the shape of a partial sphere 32 at its free end 31, which rests in a hearing socket part 33 concavely matched to it, which is embedded in each free end of the upturned portion 35 of a base member 36, and, when the frameworks A are placed one on the other, bearing part 33 is embedded in the surface 37 of corners 2 of corner parts 1 of the framework A in such a manner that the center point 38 of this concavely shaped bearing part 33, along with the center point 38 of the rigid bearing part 30 associated with it, lies on a common line A -A /B -B as shown in FIG. 12.

As it appears in FIG. 11, the center point 33 of the partial sphere 32 lies on line A'-B. A portion 33 of the concavely shaped and embedded bearing part 33 rises above this line A-B', the interior surface of this portion being cylindrical. This prevents the partial sphere 32 from escaping from the concavely shaped bearing part 33 upon the occurrence of framework spreading forces.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the base 36 is formed of four rigid corner pieces 39, two horizontal arms 40 and one upturned portion 36 extending from the corners 39' of each corner piece 39. Only two of these corner pieces 39 are visible in FIG. 12. These four corner pieces 39 with their base arms 41 however, have the same shape, arrangement and dimensions on all four sides of the said base 36, and therefore are shown in FIG. 12 only as seen from one side. The base arms 40 of the base 36 are connected to one another at their free ends 41-41 in a releasable manner by four bolts 42 in such a manner that their end faces 43-43 are held tightly together. Bolts 42 are passed through flange-like projections 44-44 which project horizontally from the ends 41-41 of base arms 41) in such a manner that the upper surface 45 and the lower surface 45 of the bolted base arms 49 are free of projections. In FIG. 12 only two flange-like projections 44-6 5 can be seen, with the bolts 42-42 passed through them. On the opposite side of the base arms 49, however, the same flange-like projections 44-44 are provided, along with the bolts 42. passed through them.

With the base 36 is associated 'a horizontally disposed base supporting member 5', inthe case of a fixed but releasable fastening, the said base supporting member corre- 12. sponding to the supporting member 6 united to the arms 3 of the corner pieces 1 of framework A. In FIG. 12 this base supporting member 6 is indicated by the broken line.

As it can be seen in FIG. 12 in conjunction with FIGS. 12:: and 1211, the horizontal arms 3, beams 12 of the supporting member 6, and the beam 14 that divides the interior square of supporting member 6 into two equal rectangles, are provided with horizontally disposed openings 47. These openings 47 serve to accommodate conduits and the like, and provide for the passage of air in the horizontal direction. Openings 47 coincide with the lines a-b, c-d, e-f and g-h, as shown in FIG. 12a. In

FIG. 12 it can be seen that openings 47 are disposed in i the end portions 5-5 of arms 3. although they are far enough away from the junctions 11 of arms 3 to be out of the area of the coupling members 15-15 which, according to FIG. 9, are embedded in the ends 5-5 of arms 3.

At the ends 5-5 of arms 3, the openings 47 preferably have the triangular shape shown in FIG. 12 rather than the oval shape of FIG. 12b, for static strength reasons. In beams 12 of supporting member 6 and beams 14, however, it is expedient to use for openings 47 the elongated shape which can be seen in FIG. 12b.

As it is apparent in FIGS. 13 to 19, the support member 6 is formed of four beams 12, arranged with four end faces 48 of their respective beam ends 49 abutting against the sides 51? of the beams 12 associated with the said beam ends 49, and a locating and fastening piece 51 being embedded in each of the beam ends 19. The hemispherical portion 52, located in the center 53 of the end face 13 of each beam 12, projects beyond the said end face 48. When embedded in the beam end 49, sleeved anchoring pieces 55, equipped with an internal thread 54, extend inward from the locating and fastening piece 51, parallel to the long axis of the beams, and their center lines i-k coincide with the center lines i-k of those sleeved anchoring parts 55 which are embedded in the corresponding adjacent beams 12 and which extended from a locating and fastening piece 57 equipped with a hemispherical recess 56. Bolts 59 having shafts 60 are passed from the outside surface 58 of such beam 12 through the sleeve-like, unthreaded anchoring pieces 55 of each beam 12, are screwed into the internal threads 54 of the anchoring pieces in such a manner that their heads 61 lie tightly against the outside surface 58 of the adjacent beam 12. FIG. 13 is a plan view, partly in section, of the assembly of the four beams 12 by means of bolts 59, the heads 61 of said bolts 59 being visible. FIG. 17 shows in 'a cross-section on line (l -D of FIG. 18, a beam 12 with the locating and fastening piece 57 embedded therein, a portion of the beam 12 with the locating and fastening piece 57 embedded therein being shown in elevation in FIG. 18. In FIG. 16 one end 49 of a beam 12 is shown in section on line C-D of FIG. 15, along with the locating and fastening piece embedded therein, and FIG. 15 shows an end view of a beam end 49 with the locating and fastening piece 51. FIG. 19 shows in section two beams 12 fastened together by means of bolts 59. The broken semi-circular line indicates that here the hemispherical part 52 lies in the matching hemispherical socket 56. By this cooperation of socket 56 with the hemispherical part 52 fitting therein, the position of the beam end 49 in relation to that of the adjacent beam 12 fastened to it is determined in such a manner when the four beams 12 are assembled into a supporting member 6, that the beams 12 assume at their junctions a position flush with one another, thereby facilitating the accurate assembly of the supporting member 6, which usually consists of heavy beams 12.

It can be seen from FIG. 12 in conjunction with FIG. 14 that the four free beam ends 13 of the horizontally disposed supporting member 6 are of such length and construction that, when the center pivot point M of supporting member 6 is in the same horizontal plane as the center point M, of the assembled framework arms 3, they can engage in the recesses 63 in the insides of arms 3 by passing through the open entry areas 64 of said recesses and coming to a stop against the sides 65 of said recesses, which assures the accurate positioning of the bearing member 6, sleeve-like aligning pieces 66 being embedded in those ends 13 of beams 12 of supporting member 6, whose long axis coincides with the long axis of the sleeve-like aligning pieces 66' which are embedded in arms 3, bolts 67 being passed in each case through the two associated sleeve-like aligning pieces 66-66, and the portion 69 of bolt 67 which bears the male thread 68 being screwed into the female thread 70 of the sleevelike aligning piece 66 embedded in the beam end 13 in such a manner that the head 71 of the bolt 67 contacts the outside '72 of arm 3.

In FIG. 20, in conjunction with FIGS. 34 and 35, four combined frameworks are shown in a top view, with corresponding supporting members 6.

From the top corners 2 of the rigid corner pieces 1 of each framework extend lugs 73 of equal width, at right angles to one another. When the four frameworks are united with one another, these lugs are fastened releasably to one another at their facing surfaces 74, said surfaces 74 diverging at their bottom portions 75 with open surfaces 76, which, when the frames are united, enclose an acute angle a.

In FIG. 34 which is associated with FIG. 35 representing a section on line L-M in FIG. 34, it is shown that from the top corners 2 of the four rigid corner pieces I, lugs 73 of equal width extend outward at right angles to one another. These lugs 73 are :atiixed releasably to one another at their meeting surfaces '74. This releasable fastening can be made by means of bolts 77, which are passed through a pair of lugs '73, as shown in FIG. 35, wherein only one bolt 77 can be seen. Needless to say, a plurality of bolts 77 can be used in the same manner.

The use of the wide lugs 73 provides for a high resistance to flexing, and makes the combined frameworks hold strongly together since the lugs 73 and hence also the meeting surfaces 74 are rigidly fastened to one an other. The outwardly projecting lugs 73 form a vertical cavity 78 when four frameworks :are united. Inasmuch as the meeting surfaces diverge in their bottom area 75 with open surfaces 76 which enclose an acute angle a when the frameworks are united, the vertical cavity 78 is made accessible laterally and from below, so that cavity 78 can be used for the installation of conduits and the like.

Due to the fact that the facing upper corners of the lugs are provided with grooves 79 running transversely of the lugs 73 (FIGS. 34 and 35), the possibility is created for the installation of a drain pipe (not shown), which is connected to the cove-shaped part MU (FIG. 25), which serves as a gutter trough and is supported by the arms 3. This gutter trough is covered by a grate slab 7, as shown in FIG. 24 in conjunction with FIG. 25.

From FIG. 21 it can readily be seen that the rectangular configuration of the modular structure H accordingto the invention is adaptable for the construction of extended structures comprising a plurality of modules H connected together. This can be accomplished by joining groups of up to four modules H at their respective corners by cross-members BK having arms 3a with ends 5b which are connected fixedly but releasably to the ends 5a of the arms 3 in each module H.

If desired, the lug connection means described in con nection with FIG. 20 can be used in combination with the cross-member BK. The eight arms 3a are arranged in four pairs, with opposite pairs being substantially perpendicular to each other, and the arms 3a within each pair being substantially parallel.

Additional modules H can be connected, as desired, to the individual modules H in each cross-member BK 14 connected group of four, by providing the lug fastening means of FIGS. 34 and 35 on the adjacent corner members ll of these modules H.

In FIG. 22 in conjunction with FIG. 23 are shown slabs 7 laid horizontally on the framework, these slabs being provided with ribs 7a on the bottom (FIG. 22), the outer sides of which abut the insides of arms 3 of the corner pieces 1 of the framework at one end of the slab and abut the insides of beams 12 of supporting member 6 at the other end, and, in the case of slabs 7 which unite adjacent frameworks, they abut the facing outer sides of arms 3. If desired, the merging surfaces of ribs 7:: and of slabs 7 can be equipped with elastic pads Z to reduce the transmission of vibration and noise between frameworks.

As can be seen from FIGS. 23, 24 and 25, the slabs 7 can be provided at their meeting edges with grooves N, which are filled with sealing substances in order to provide a water-tight joint between the associated slabs 7.

In FIGS. 22 and 23 are shown two slabs 7 which are each equipped at one end with an integrally formed railing 7. Each slab 7 represents, together with railing 7', a separately formed unit which can :be cast from any suitable material, for example concrete.

FIG. 24 and FIG. 25 show that the slabs 7 which connect the frameworks have grate-like slits SL, and underneath the grate slab there is placed a separately made, trough-shaped piece MU which need not be fastened to the said slab 7 on top of it.

FIG. 26 shows an assembled building structure with a flat base 36' laid on the ground, which directly bears slabs 7 serving as a floor. The base 36' differs from the base 36, represented in FIG. 12 and described above, only in that it is constructed as a flat foundation, i.e., it has no upright posts. The flat base 36' shown in FIG. 26 is, of course, also associated with a floor span supporting member 6' (similar to that previously described herein), installed fixedly but releasably, so that the slabs 7 serving as a floor are supported in the manner described above. Between the bottom horizontal tubes 8 of the tubular skeleton 9 and the slabs 7 there is installed an elastic bearing and sealing member Da, as shown in FIG. 31, which serves to bear the tubular skeleton 9 and seal it. Between the upper horizontal tubes 8 and the arms 3 of the framework, there is likewise placed a sealing member Da shown in FIG. 31, but with the difference that the concavely curved surface, which in FIG. 31 is shown face up, is placed face down on tube 8. The purpose of the member Da in this case is to provide a seal rather than act as a support for the tubular skeleton.

In FIGS. 26 and 27 three slabs 10 are shown with a diagonal hatching indicating that some, or if desired all sla-bs It) can consist of transparent or translucent material, or, as desired, of opaque material, as is indicated by slabs it? which in FIG. 26 are not hatched.

On the left in FIG. 26 a slab 10" is constructed as a door. However, a door can also be provided at any other place in the tubular skeleton 9 when desired.

In FIG. 27 an assembled building structure is represented with a flat base 36' laid on the ground, in which the slabs 10, arranged in the tubular skeleton and serving as a floor, are spaced away from the base 36 and slabs 7 directly carried by the supporting member 6' associated with said base. In this manner a horizontal hollow space H is formed which can be used for laying supply lines for water and gas, electric cables, etc. and also for the installation of heating and ventilating equipment.

In the building structure shown in FIG. 27 a horizontal air space H is also provided in the upper part of the tubular skeleton 9, being formed by the slabs 10 mounted in the tubular skeleton 9. This air space H is used like air space H for the installation of supply lines and the like and for the installation of heating and ventilating equipment. Above and below the slabs marked 15 in FIG. 27, smaller vertically disposed plates 10a are installed in the tubular skeleton; although they are small er, they are similar in construction to the larger slabs 10.

At all intersections of the horizontal tubes 8 of the tubular skeleton, upright legs 80 are disposed in the bottom air space H (FIG. 27). FIG. 28 shows a leg 80. This leg consists of a short, round tube 8. At the bottom end of the tube 8 is placed an elastic body 31 made, for example, of rubber, the plug-like portion 82 of said leg being inserted into the bottom of tube 8 in such a manner that it is tightly held therein. The plug-like part 82 is adjoined by a foot part 83 whose circumference is larger than the circumference of tube 8, so that the bottom edge of tube 8 is supported all around by this foot part 83. Into the top end of tube 8 the cylindrical plug 85 of a stud piece 84 is tightly fitted so that the head 86 of stud piece 84 bears upon the top edge of tube 8. Above the head 86 rises a threaded stud 87 which is screwed into a tapped hole which is formed in the coupling member V, which is disposed at the intersections of tubes 8 of the tubular skeleton 9. This coupling member V is shown separately in FIG. 36.

FIG. 29 is a section on line G-H of FIG. 26, but on a smaller scale.

FIG. 30 is a section on line I-K of FIG. 27, on a smaller scale. At the intersections Ki the upright legs 80 (FIG. 28) are so disposed that each leg stands with its foot 83 directly on the slab flooring formed by slabs 7. These intersections Ki, however, all lie within the reach of those tubes 8 of tubular skeleton 9, whose intersections are filled on all sides by vertically disposed slabs 10a. For the sake of clarity, FIG. 30 represents a horizontally disposed tubular skeleton 9 by means of solid lines. This horizontally disposed tubular skeleton 9, however, is located above the line I-K in FIG. 27. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, the slabs 7 are not shaded in FIG. 30 as they are in FIG. 29. The slabs 10, which are to be installed in the horizontal tubular skeleton 9 represented in solid lines in FIG. 30, are not shown in the latter.

FIG. 31 represents a cross-section of a horizontally disposed tube 8 of skeleton 9, with an elastic bearing and sealing member Da placed beneath it. The arrangement and manner of operation of this bearing and sealing member Da is explained above in connection with FIG. 26 and is represented in FIGS. 26 and 27. The arrangement and manner of operation of the bearing and sealing member Da is the same in the building structure shown in FIG. 26 and in the one in FIG. 27.

FIG. 32 is a cross-section through an edge portion of a slab 10, serving to fill the interstices in the tubular skeleton 9, with the remaining portion of the slab 10 being cut away.

As it can be seen in FIG. 32, the slab 10 serving to fill the interstices of skeleton 9, is a sandwich formed of two parallel boards or panels 88, between which a filling 89 is placed, the marginal portions 90 being bent slanting towards one another at an angle of 45 degrees, and the extreme margins 91, being disposed at right angles to the marginal portions 90, are turned in and their edges 92 are in contact with an elastic sealing member 93. The sealing member 93 is provided with two oppositely facing lips 94 which adapt to the outer periphery of each tube 8 which is associated with the sealing member 93 when slab 10 is seated in the tubular skeleton 9. As is obvious to those skilled in the art, bend angles other than 45 and 90 degrees can be used in forming the marginal portions 90 and 91.

FIG. 33 represents in section a tube 8 of tubular skeleton 9, with two slabs 10 united with it, and filler strips installed on both sides. As it is shown in FIG. 33 the lips 94 apply themselves to the outer periphery of tube 8 when the slabs are seated in the tubular skeleton 9, which can be seen in FIG. 33.

As it is apparent from FIG. 33, filler strips 95-95 are installed, the arcuate sides 96 of which fit against the outer periphery of the tube 8, and the straight external sides of which lie flush with the outsides of the slabs 10. The filler strips -95 are held by lugs 97 which hook around the corners 98 of the inwardly bent extreme margins 91 of boards 88 of slabs 10. These filler strips 95- 95 are preferably made of a plastic which is sufficiently elastic for the lugs 97 to be snapped into the seated position at corners 98 when the filler strips are installed, and then to be held in that position by the expansive force inherent in the said lugs. These lugs 97 can be arranged at intervals along the filler strip so that the latter will be held in place firmly over its entire length. Instead of the lugs, however, continuous beads having the same crosssection as lugs 97 can extend over the entire length of the filler strips 95-95. If desired, filler strips 95-95 can also be so constructed that they project outwardly beyond the outside surfaces of slabs 10 and are equipped with lateral overlaps 99, as indicated on the left in FIG. 33 by the broken line. Overlaps 99 lie against the exterior surface of slabs 10 and thus cover the joints running slantwise between slabs 10 and filler strips 95-95. This design of the filler strips 95-95 is shown in FIG. 33 only on the left side, though it can, of course, be used on all filler strips.

In FIG. 33 the right filler strip 95 is equipped with a longitudinal channel 100 which serves for the passage of cables 101 of large diameter and cables 102 of small di- 2111161161.

FIG. 36 is a perspective representation of a rigid coupling member V, which can be used for connecting the intersecting horizontal and vertical tubes 8 to form the assembled skeleton 9. The surfaces 103 of this coupling member are arranged in a cubic disposition to one another, but they are circular in shape and each meets its contiguous surfaces 103 at its outer circumference at points 104. From the junction points 104 three arcuate edges 105 run, and from these extend three apexes of equal shape 106, at right angles to the circular surfaces 103, meeting at a common center 107. Holes 108 equipped with female threads are formed in the center of the circular surfaces 103 and serve for the screwing in of cylindrical studs 85, onto which the ends of tubes 8 of skeleton 9 can be pushed, the latter being fastened fixedly or releasably to the cylindrical stud 85 (FIG. 28).

FIGS. 37 to 42 represent in section and in elevation a coupling device 200, which extends from the coupling member V for the releasable coupling of the individual tubes 3 of skeleton 9 to one another, some individual ;p arts being shown separately.

FIGS. 37 to 42, in conjunction with FIG. 36, show that a stepped fitting 109 extends from each of the circular, fiat surfaces 103 of coupling member V in a central arrangement, said fitting 109 having an end surface 110 of its largest step 111 (whose diameter d is the same as the diameter of the circular, flat surface 103 of coupling member V) abutting against the said surface 103. The free end of a tube 8 can be fitted snugly over the middle step 112 of fitting 109 (the outside diameter d of said tube 8 being the same as the outside diameter d of the largest step 111 of fitting 109). Over the smallest step 113 of fitting 109 is fitted the end 114 of a spacer tube 115, which bears at the other end 116 a stepped fitting 119 having two steps 117 and 118, said tube being fitted snugly on the smaller step 117. From the end surface of the largest step 118 of this stepped fitting 119 extends a tapered, removable coupling piece 121 having a tapered end 122, which lies against the end face 120 of the largest step 118 of the stepped fitting 119, and another end 123 which rests with its flat surface 124 against the flat surface 126 at a stationary cam 127 lying between two lobes -125 of said cam 127 which, by said stationary lobes 125-125, engages the ramp surfaces 128-128 of a cylindrical shifting body 129 when the stationary lobes 125-125 are in a common held position RA, and the lifting ramps 128-123 are engaged. The tapered coupling part 121 is surrounded by an annular ball cage 131 equipped with balls 131), said ball cage being under the influence of a compression spring 132 disposed between the end 120 of stepped fitting 119 and the ball cage 131. A hole 134 provided with female thread 133 in the stepped fitting 109 has the threaded end 135 of a bolt 136 screwed into it, said bolt 136 being coaxial with the outside tube 8 and being tightened with its head 137 against the end surface 138 of cam 127. The bolt 136 fits snugly through the cam 127, through the tapering coupling piece 121 and through the stepped fitting 119, being centered therein, and being provided with a threaded end 139 capable of being screwed into the central, tapped hole 108 of coupling member V. The cylindrical shifting body 129 is provided with two opposite notches 140-140 cut into the end surface 141 of same, which cooperates with the lifting ramps 128-128, the said notches being so deep that, when the stationary lobes 125-125 of cam 127 and liftitng ramps 128-128 of the cylindrical shifting body 129 are in the common held position Ra, they come into the area of the hole 142 which is created in the wall of the outer tube 8 at the matching interval X measured from the edge 143 of said tube, which lies against the largest step 111 of the fitting 1119.

The arrangement and the manner of operation of the coupling system represented in FIGS. 37 to 42 is the following:

The parts shown in FIG. 37, namely the cam 127, the tapering coupling piece 121, the two-stepped fitting 119 and the s epped fitting 109, are tightly screwed together after the cylindrical shifting body 129, the ball cage 131 and balls 13!), and the compression spring 132 have been arranged about the tapering coupling piece 121, as shown in FIG. 37. The cam 127 then sits tightly so that it is immobile. The lobes 125-125 extending from cam 127 are therefore serving as stationary lobes. These stationary lobes 125-1223" and the lifting ramps 128-128 are in a common held position RA shown in FIG. 37.

Compression spring 132 urges the ball cage 131 upward in such a manner that it contacts the bottom end surface of the cylindrical shifting body 129. The halls 130 at the same time roll on the, tapered outer periphery of the coupling piece 121 so that they are guided so far outward that they lie all around against the interior surface of the outer tube 8, and at the same time assume a rigid, all-around gripping fit between the outer surface of coupling piece 121 and the inside surface of the outer tube 8. Outer tube 8 is then in the position shown in FIG. 37, with its coupling system, which works from its interior, rigidly and immovably engaged. When this coupling system is used to couple together the tubes 8 of the tubular skeleton 9, the free end 139 of bolt 136 is screwed tightly, by means of a wrench-fitting bolt head 137, into the internally threaded hole 1118 in coupling member V (FIG. 42). At the same time the end surface 110 of fitting 109 lies tightly against the circular surface 193 of coupling member V. This screw fastening can be secured by known locking means in such a manner that it cannot be unintentionally loosened. In FIGS. 37 and 39 this possibility of locking is indicated by a lock ring 144 which, when bolt 137 is tightened in hole 108, fits into the circular matching recess 145 (formed in the end surface 111 of fitting 109), in such a manner that the locking teeth 146 of lock ring 144 penetrate into the material of fitting 109, and the locking teeth 147 penetrate into the material of coupling member V.

After the coupling system shown in FIG. 37 has been tightly fastened to coupling member V, the outside tube 8 can then be pushed onto the coupling device until its end 143 firmly engages the circular riser of the largest step 111 of fitting 109. Unless the uncoupling device is operated, the outer tube 8 cannot then be removed from this tight, play-free fit; that is, it is held absolutely tightly.

18 Thus it is impossible for tube 8 to yield longitudinally, which is of especial importance to the holding together of skeleton 9.

In FIG. 40 the cylindrical shifting body 129 is shown, as seen from the ramp surfaces 128128. The arcuate arrows indicate the direction of rotation of the cylindrical shifting body 129. The slope of the ramp surfaces also runs in the direction of these arrows, the heads of the arrows indicating the lowest point of the said slope.

In FIG. 41, the cam 127 is shown separately, as seen from the lobes -125.

If, however, the tubular skeleton 9 is to be taken apart, each outside tube can be uncoupled individually in the following manner:

In the wall of outer tube 8 there is provided a hole 142 at the distance X from the edge 143 of tube 8, as shown in FIG. 42. In the common held position Ra of the lobes 125-125 and ramp surfaces 128-128 this hole coincides with a notch when tube 8 is turned in the direction of the arrows 148, as it can be seen from FIG. 42 in conjunction with FIG. 38. If the outer tube 8 represented in FIG. 42 has been turned so far in the direction of the arrows 148 that the hole 142 in tube 8 is over notch 140 (FIG. 38), a shift pin 149 is introduced into the hole 142 in such a manner that it engages in notch 140 of cylindrical shifting body 129 as it is shown in FIG. 38. If the outer tube 8 is then turned further in the direction of arrows 148, the shift pin 149 turns the cylindrical shifting body 129 in the direction of the arrow 150. During this rotatory movement the cylindrical shifting body 12 9 is moved downward under the effect of ramp surfaces 128-128, in the direction of the arrows 151 drawn in FIG. 38, to such an extent that it assumes the elevation that can be seen in FIG. 39. Shift pin 149 then encounters at 152 the lobe 125 of cam 127. In this position the compression spring 132 has been compressed from the position S shown in FIG. 37 into the position 5 in FIG. 39, so that the ball cage 131 with balls 131 has likewise been forced downward and the balls 131 are released from the locking position shown in FIG. 37 between the tapering outer periphery of coupling piece 121 and the inner surface of outer tube 8. Outer tube 8 can then be pulled off of the coupling system.

I claim:

1. A modular structure comprising:

(a) a support base member;

(b) four rigid corner members, each having a pair of arm members and a leg member extending from a common corner junction in substantially mutually orthogonal directions, with the distals ends of said arms having releasable connectors affixed thereto, said corner members being disposed so as to form an open rectangular, parallelepiped frame, with the arms of adjacent corner members being connected together at their distal ends, and the distal ends of their leg members being instl'pporting contact with said base member;

(c) a span support member disposed acrossthe frame opening defined by said interconnected arm members and connected thereto, said span support member comprising four beams interconnected to form a planar rectangular frame with one end ofeach beam extending outward along each side thereof, said beam ends being fixedly but re'leasably connected to the corner piece arms; and I (d) a plurality of panels fastened to said span support members, said panels being disposed horizontally thereon.

2. The modular structure of claim 1 wherein a tubular skeleton is fastened to the frame defined by the corner piece members and to the span support member, with a plurality of panels being fastened to said skeleton.

3. The modular structure of claim 1 wherein the beams of the span support member are disposed so that their inside surfaces enclose a central square aperture having a center which coincides with the center of the rectangle defined by the interconnected corner member arms, with the outisde surfaces and extended portions of said beams together with the inside surfaces of said corner member arms, enclosing four separate rectangular apertures which surround said square aperture, with the areas of said rectangular apertures being equal to each other, and in the ratio of 3:4 with respect to the area of the square aperture.

4. The modular structure of claim 3 wherein an additional beam is disposed across the square aperture enclosed by the four beams of the span support member, said additional beam being connected at each end to a beam of the span support member, so as to divide said square aperture into two equal rectangular apertures.

5. The modular structure of claim 1 wherein the corner member arms are hingedly connected at their distal ends by hinge members fastened thereto and a hinge pin joining said hinge members.

6. The modular structure of claim 1 wherein the distal ends of the corner member legs are each provided with a bearing member embedded therein, said bearing member having a projecting spherical portion which engages a mating bearing socket atlixed to the base member.

7. The modular structure of claim 1 wherein the corner member arms and the span support member beams are provided with at least one horizontally disposed aperture extending therethrough.

8. The modular structure of claim 1 wherein the span support member beams are each provided with a sleeved anchoring member extending transversely therethrough and a threaded anchoring member embedded in each end thereof, and said beams are fastened together adjacently bybolts passing through the sleeved anchoring members and engaging one of the threaded anchoring members in each beam end, and the corner member arms are provided with similar sleeved anchoring members extending therethrough, with the span support member being fastened to said arms by bolts passing through the sleeved anchoring members in the arms which engage the threaded anchoring members embedded in the outwardly extending beam ends of the span support member.

9. The modular structure of claim 8 wherein the corner member arms are provided with stopped recesses which permit the extended beam portions of an assembled support span member to be rotated within the rectangular frame formed by said arms until the threaded anchor members in said beam ends are aligned with the sleeves of the anchoring members extending through the arms, so as to permit the span support member to be bolted to said arms.

10. The modular structure of claim 1 wherein at least one of the corner members is provided with an outwardly disposed lug and fastening means for connecting said lug to a similar lug on a corner member of a similar modular structure, so that a plurality of such modular structures can be united by fastening their respective lugs together.

' 11. The modular structure of claim 1 wherein one of the corner members is provided with a pair of outwardly disposed lugs, each of said lugs extending substantially parallel to one of the arms of said corner member and perpendicular to the other arm thereof, with each lug having fastening means for connection to similar lugs on corner members of similar modular structures so that four of such modular structures can be united by fastening their adjacent lugs together.

12. In combination, four modular structures according to claim 11, wherein said structures are connected together at their lugs so that a substantially uniform spacing exists between the frames of adjacent modular structures, at least one trough disposed between the adjacent sides of the frames of a pair of adjacent modularstructure-s, said trough being supported by the arms 2t) thereof, a grating covering said trough, and a drain pipe communicating with said trough.

13. In combination, a plurality of modular structures according to claim 11, said structures being disposed adjacently to each other and connected together in groups of four by a cruciform-shaped member having arms which are connected to arms of the corner members in each structure of said groups.

14. In combination with the modular structure of claim 1, a slab having an upright ledge member extending from its upper surface along an edge thereof, and a pair of ribs extending from its bottom surface, said slab being disposed upon said modular structure so as to be supported by a corner member arm and support span member beam thereof, with one of said ribs being in abutting contact with said arm, and the other in abutting contact with said beam.

15. In combination with the modular structure according to claim 1, a first slab having a groove along one of its edges, a second slab similar to the first, said first and second slabs being mounted to the structure with their grooved edges in abutting contact, so as to form an enclosed groove along said edges, and a sealing material disposed in said enclosed groove so as to form a sealed edge joint between said slabs.

16. The combination according to claim 15 wherein each of said slabs have an integrally formed railing extending outward therefrom.

17. A modular structure comprising:

(a) a base support member having four rigid corner members, each having a pair of arm members and a stud member extending upward from a common corner junction in substantially mutually orthogonal directions, with the distal ends of said arms and stud members having releasable connectors affixed thereto, said corner members being disposed so that their arms form an open rectangular frame with their studs projecting upward, with the arms of adjacent corner members being connected together at their distal ends;

(b) an upper frame member having four rigid corner members, each having a pair of arm members and a stud member extending downward from a common corner junction in substantially mutually orthogonal directions, with the distal ends of said arms and stud members having releasable connectors affixed thereto, said corner members being disposed so that their arms form an open rectangular frame and their studs are in alignment with those of the base support member, with the arms of adjacent corner members being connected together at their distal ends, and the aligned stud members of the upper frame member and base support member being conencted together at their respective distal ends to form an open rectangular, parallelepiped frame;

(c) a first span support member disposed across the frame opening defined by the interconnected arms of the base support member and connected thereto, said span support member comprising four beams interconnected so as to form a planar rectangular frame with one end of each beam extending outward along each side thereof, with said beam ends being fixedly but releasably connected to said base support arm members;

(d) a second span support member, similar to the first, disposed across the frame opening defined by the interconnected arms of the upper frame member and connected thereto at the beam end of said second span support member in a manner similar to the connection of the first span support member and base support member arms; and

(e) at least one panel fastened to one of said span support members and disposed substantially parallel therewith.

' (References on following page) References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Hawkins 52395 Mewse 855 Henderson 52--236 X Becker 85-5 FOREIGN PATENTS Canada. Germany. Germany. Germany. Germany. Netherlands.

15 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. M. O. WARNECKE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A MODULAR STRUCTURE COMPRISING: (A) A SUPPORT BASE MEMBER; (B) FOUR RIGID CORNER MEMBERS, EACH HAVING A PAIR OF ARM MEMBERS AND A LEG MEMBER EXTENDING FROM A COMMON CORNER JUNCTION IN SUBSTANTIALLY MUTUALLY ORTHOGONAL DIRECTIONS, WITH THE DISTALS ENDS OF SAID ARMS HAVING RELEASABLE CONNECTORS AFFIXED THERETO, SAID CORNER MEMBERS BEING DISPOSED SO AS TO FORM AN OPEN RECTANGULAR, PARALLELEPIPED FRAME, WITH THE ARMS OF ADJACENT CORNER MEMBERS BEING CONNECTED TOGETHER AT THEIR DISTAL ENDS, AND THE DISTAL ENDS OF THEIR LEG MEMBERS BEING IN SUPPORTING CONTACT WITH SAID BASE MEMBER; (C) A SPAN SUPPORT MEMBER DISPOSED ACROSS THE FRAME OPENING DEFINED BY SAID INTERCONNECTED ARM MEMBERS AND CONNECTED THERETO, SAID SPAN SUPPORT MEMBER COMPRISING FOUR BEAMS INTERCONNECTED TO FORM A PLANAR RECTANGULAR FRAME WITH ONE END OF EACH BEAM EXTENDING OUTWARD ALONG EACH SIDE THEREOF, SAID BEAM ENDS BEING FIXEDLY BUT RELEASABLY CONNECTED TO THE CORNER PIECE ARMS; AND (D) A PLURALITY OF PANELS FASTENED TO SAID SPAN SUPPORT MEMBERS, SAID PANELS BEING DISPOSED HORIZONTALLY THEREON.
 11. THE MODULAR STRUCTURE OF CLAIM 1 WHEREIN ONE OF THE CORNER MEMBERS IS PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF OUTWARDLY DISPOSED LUGS, EACH OF SAID LUGS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO ONE OF THE ARMS OF SAID CORNER MEMBER AND PERPENDICULAR TO THE OTHER ARM THEREOF, WITH EACH LUG HAVING FASTENING MEANS FOR CONNECTION TO SIMILAR LUGS ON CORNER MEMBERS OF SIMILAR MODULAR STRUCTURES SO THAT FOUR OF SUCH MODULAR STRUCTURES CAN BE UNITED BY FASTENING THEIR ADJACENT LUGS TOGETHER.
 12. IN COMBINATION, FOUR MODULAR STRUCTURES ACCORDING TO CLAIM 11, WHEREIN SAID STRUCTURES ARE CONNECTED TOGETHER AT THEIR LUGS SO THAT A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SPACING EXISTS BETWEEN THE FRAMES OF ADJACENT MODULAR STRUCTURES, AT LEAST ONE TROUGH DISPOSED BETWEEN THE ADJACENT SIDES OF THE FRAMES OF A PAIR OF ADJACENT MODULAR STRUCTURES, SAID TROUGH BEING SUPPORTED BY THE ARMS THEREOF, A GRATING COVERING SAID TROUGH, AND A DRAIN PIPE COMMUNICATING WITH SAID TROUGH. 